Okay, is it just me, but isn't here something basically ironic and/or just plain oblivious about using anything by Chris Brown as a wedding march? Obviously I'm talking about the viral video which I hate for so many reasons, chief of which is "What were they thinking?"
It's like singing "We are family" while chopping up your relatives with a hacksaw or something. Maybe that's not the best analogy. I invite better ones, of course.
I found the video hilarious! It looked like they were really having fun, and doing something different. I liked it! I found it fun, funny and touching.
ETA - I loved the bridesmaid's dresses, too. You could actually wear those again after the wedding, easily. The bride also looked terrific! I love how her dress and the bridesmaid's dresses are so similar.
I didn't find the video totally funny. It was alright. But I think the dancing could have been a little more polished if they really wanted a wow factor. I just wasn't that impressed with it.
It's a cute video, but I don't get why (a) it is being reported as news on legitimate news shows, (b) everyone on facebook feels the need to post a link to it.
I don't mind dancing down the aisle, even badly. I mind that they did it to the music of someone who abuses and clearly despises women.
I see, eslbee. I've never heard of Chris Brown before, so didn't know about his past.
catsnotkids Wrote:I see, eslbee. I've never heard of Chris Brown before, so didn't know about his past.
Yeah, I don't know who Chris Brown is either. But I totally see your point. People do tend to be ignorant to things like that.
I haven't heard of Chris Brown, nor the video of which you speak, and I have no desire to go searching for it.
That said, this raises a question that some people have been asking in different contexts for years. If you really like an author but he personally believes in religious supremacy then should you buy his next book? If you have a Curves gym in your neighbourhood but you know the owner contributes to an anti-abortion group then should you go there?
It's all personal choice and comfort levels, and chances are really good that the people involved with this video are (like myself) ignorant of the details and are just enjoying themselves, as it should be.
We can't all be perfect about everything, because the chances are really good that some of my investments or purchasing choices or opinions are going to be unfavourable somewhere by someone.
Reminds me of a conversation that I had last week with a coworker. He was saying that tuna was extremely good for you, and that he ate lots of tuna as a result. I said that as a large fish it tends to accumulate a lot of toxins and heavy metals, so it may not be as ideal as he wishes it to be. He then named all sorts of other meats and food items, and I picked through each one. There is no real way of winning (although buying locally-produced hormone-antibiotic-free items is better).
I saw the video, found it entertaining, felt no need to repost it on FB, and had no idea who did the song. I don't listen to radio music so I've never heard a note of a Chris Brown song before, and didn't know it was him until mentioned here. He's just a manufactured pop act, like Britney Spears and all the others, his lyrics don't actually mean anything because they're thrown together by producers, his manufactured music is as vacant as the hum of an air conditioner. I don't really care if people use it at a wedding because he's pretty removed from the song making process anyway.
jmk3482 Wrote:catsnotkids Wrote:I see, eslbee. I've never heard of Chris Brown before, so didn't know about his past.
Yeah, I don't know who Chris Brown is either. But I totally see your point. People do tend to be ignorant to things like that.
He's a US rapper who's most famous act was repeatedly beating his now-former girlfriend, another entertainer named Rihanna.
Ziggy, you do raise an interesting point, and yes, those things affect the way I spend my money. A good example is, I won't go near a Wal-Mart. It infuriates my spouse and she still goes there. I can't make her stop, she can't make me go. But at least she knows WHY I don't go. The savings and convenience mean more to her than they do to me.
So if I find out someone I used to like is behaving in a way I find unacceptable, my interest in them ceases. And if I know in advance, like Chris Brown, not that I'm into rap, it never starts. I may write off an awful lot of people, but it simplifies my life.
Anastasia, from what you wrote, I realized why people may not know or care, and that's interesting, too. If CB hadn't been in the news for assault, I never would have heard of him myself. But there's the association thing, and that would matter to me.
By the way, I was having an exchange with CFScorpio in this thread and now it's gone. I wonder why. ETA: Because it WASN'T this thread!
I prefer to avoid certain stores as well, for various personal / ethical views. I roll my eyes about certain people's decisions but I do it quietly behind their backs as I know it is a personal choice and - as you say - you can't make them stop.
The problem is, you can berate those people for not having known about this guy's actions and views, but what happens if they are ignorant of them (if this current thread is any indication then it's a likely possibility)? You can argue "But they should have known!" It's an argument with very little base on which to stand, in my opinion, as most people do not research such details to any extent. Should I research the biographies of all the people and products that I meet throughout the day? Good luck! Even high-value items such as investments have 'ethical' options (I don't know how well that works in practice, but it's proving my theory) or 'environmental' portfolios for those people who have their heart in the right place but can't be bothered to do the research.
I would think that you are correct in your statement that it might be just plain oblivious, although I believe that the term 'ironic' is misplaced and your example is way off base. But that's just my opinion...
Ziggy,
You're entitled to your opinion! I posted here to acquire other points of view, and I got them! That's a good thing.
In the case of Brown, the assault case was very high-profile and got a lot of commentary, especially along the lines of "Why would she go back to him?" and panels discussing how can you tell if you're involved with an abuser, and announcements about the existence of safe houses for battered women and so on. And the irony, to me, is that the song "Forever" is exactly what you wouldn't want to spend with an abuser. I can't, offhand, think of anything more peculiar than using the music of a convicted batterer as a wedding march. So I'll chalk it up to the couple's lack of awareness of the situation.
jmk3482 Wrote:catsnotkids Wrote:I see, eslbee. I've never heard of Chris Brown before, so didn't know about his past.
Yeah, I don't know who Chris Brown is either. But I totally see your point. People do tend to be ignorant to things like that.
You guys haven't been following the news? Even if you're not hip-hop fans, I'm surprised you didn't hear the HUGE news story of him beating his then-girlfriend Rihanna before a music awards show.
Ziggy Wrote:I haven't heard of Chris Brown, nor the video of which you speak, and I have no desire to go searching for it.
WOW! There are 3 of you?!?!
I heard about the Rihanna thing, but since I don't know who she is I didn't really pay attention to it.
ETA - The only radio I listen to is NPR and Pandora. How else would I know Rihanna and Chris Brown without listening to commercial radio?
Oh, I don't listen to their music either, but that domestic violence story was all over the media.
We watch (usually) CBS Nightly News, and throughout the day we have CNN on. I'm pretty sure I also saw it on line. It was everywhere. In fact, it was just yesterday I saw that you can watch his so-called apology to her on YouTube.
"You guys haven't been following the news?"
Not mainstream U.S. news sources! I don't have access to them.
"It was everywhere."
False assumptions again, sorry!
It might have been a story in the Canadian news media, but it likely did not show up as a 'worthy news story' (I don't read the Entertainment news specifically).
I listen to my national radio station and read BBC and the national version's online news, and I didn't see anything with a headline with those names. I searched their site and found an article from 20 July (so this was only last week?) and one from March. The order of news categories on those sites tends to be National, World, Business, Health, Sports, with Science/Tech and Arts/Entertainment getting the occasional splash on the main page (e.g. Michael Jackson dying). I'm happy with that sequence, which I suppose is why I prefer them.
The top story on the CNN site is something about Jackson's doctor, and the same story on my preferred website is listed last under the 'Arts and Entertainment' option. I know that my option isn't perfect, but it does shield me from much of the U.S. news silliness.
For that option I always turn to John Stewart and Stephen Colbert!
Actually, Ziggy, you're lucky in a way that Canadian media don't carry so much drivel. The only good thing about this particular story was that it served as a warning to women in similar situations. As to Michael Jackson, I was done with him before he was born; in fact, before I was born, so anything is too much.